


Sister+Hospital+Pressure

by katmariefrancis



Series: Sergeant+Rescue+New Friend [6]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Gen, Jack is a Dad, Mac is in a dangerous situation as per usual, angst and a little bit of whump, but it sounds kinda legit, definitely sure there's very dubious science, like i'm fairly certain this is scientifically impossible, pretty sure there's some language, reena and mac are literal siblings, there's a princess bride reference lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 19:55:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18598306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katmariefrancis/pseuds/katmariefrancis
Summary: The team is once again headed to solve a problem very far away, only this time there's no gunfire involved. There is, however, a worrying situation, and of course it involves one of Mac's plans.Or, Reena finds out just exactly how stressful working with Mac can be.





	Sister+Hospital+Pressure

**Author's Note:**

> So, not my favorite chapter, but there is some development in here that I very much wanted to get out there. There is _so much_ dubious science and it's based heavily on Season 3, episode 4, _Guts+Fuel+Hope_.  
> Enjoy!

GOOD MORNING  
WE’RE ALL EXHAUSTED

“Hey, Mac. There’s coffee going and some cinnamon rolls under that foil.” Bozer said as I walked into the kitchen, still pulling on my shirt. “I’m headed in to the lab, Matty needed me a little earlier today. I’ll see ya in about an hour and a half.” I nodded blearily at him, blinking sleep out of my eyes. 

“Man, I gotta stop having such killer nightmares.” Reena muttered, emerging from her room. She was still in pajamas, hair completely wild. “But on the bright side, I’ve finally managed to get my leg on alone.” she added with a crooked grin. “Ooh, do I smell cinnamon rolls?” 

“Not just any cinnamon rolls. _Bozer’s_ cinnamon rolls.” I said. “They’re his mom’s recipe, and just about as perfect as when she made them.” I lifted the foil and the smell amplified as the foil released steam from the cinnamon rolls. Reena quickly grabbed two, dropping them onto a plate, and set them on the counter by a stool as she grabbed a coffee mug, filling it and taking a sip. 

“Ah, the sweet taste of all of my energy.” she murmured into the mug. 

“You know, you’re going to have massive withdrawals if you ever have to skip coffee.” I said, pouring myself a mug. 

“And what, pray tell, would make me do that?” Reena demanded. “My morning coffee will have to be pried out of my cold, dead hands.” 

“Well I guess we have to just hope if you ever get taken hostage it’s after your morning coffee.” I said, sitting next to Reena at the counter. 

“Damn straight, _Blondie_.” Reena said, a wicked grin on her face. I rolled my eyes. 

“You’ve been around Matty too much.” I groaned. Reena just grinned at me and bit into a cinnamon roll. We ate in relative silence except for a few questions about the work day, and then Reena headed to take a quick shower, letting me know the door would be unlocked so I could brush my teeth. 

“Dude, we gotta go!” I yelled from the foyer. Matty had wanted us in by 7:45, which was in twenty minutes. 

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Reena yelled. She emerged from her room as she was simultaneously pulling on her trademark army ballcap and slinging her bag over her shoulder. “Jesus, you’re loud!” she complained, though there was thinly veiled amusement on her face. 

“The longer someone takes to get ready, the louder I get.” I teased. “Now come on, Boze took the Jeep so we’re takin’ the truck.” Reena fished her keys from a pocket of her bag as I locked the front door. 

Reena drove, and she turned the radio up. A song was just finishing, and the song that came after it made me smile to myself. 

_Brother, let me be your shelter_  
_Never leave you all alone_  
_I can be the one you call_  
_When you’re low_

I waited for _Brother_ to finish before I reached for the dial to turn the volume down. Reena glanced at me questioningly for a moment before she turned back to the road. 

“Mac?” she asked. 

“Replace _brother_ with _sister_ and that’s everything you need to know about how we all feel about you, Ree.” I said. “Except, I think Jack and Matty are more parents than siblings, but you know what I mean.” I added. 

“Mac, what’s this about?” Reena asked. She glanced over at me again. 

“Ree, I saw that guilt in your eyes when I told you I was gonna stay with you.” I said, eyebrows raised. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, dude.” Reena tried. 

“Ree,” I said, “you’re a shit liar.” I said. Reena sighed. 

“I just feel bad, Mac.” Reena admitted. “You shouldn’t have to give up sleeping in your own bed just for an unexpected housemate with psychological issues.” I rolled my eyes. 

“Reena, nobody made me do anything. I asked you to move in and I decided to stay with you last night. I know you’d do the same for me.” I said firmly. 

“Well you ain’t wrong about that.” Reena said, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. “Oh, would you look at that, we made it.” Reena said suddenly. I chuckled rolling my eyes. 

“Yeah, because _someone_ was speeding.” I teased as Reena and I showed our identification at the security checkpoint. 

“Yeah, well, you were complaining about being late, so…” Reena shrugged. She pulled into a parking spot next to the Jeep and we hopped out. “Hey Mac?” Reena asked as we met at the back of her truck to pull our stuff out. I looked over at her, one eyebrow raised in a question. 

Reena tackled me in a hug. 

“Thanks, Mac.” Reena said, voice muffled by my shoulder. I wrapped my arms tightly around her. 

“Anytime, _sister_.” 

WAR ROOM  
ABOUT A MINUTE AHEAD OF MATTY’S WRATH 

“Someone,” Bozer pointed to himself, “informed me that you finally got your leg on by yourself.” Matty said as Reena and I walked into the war room, my arm slung around Reena’s shoulders. Reena grinned. “You’re cleared to be a field agent just as soon as you take a trip to medical.” 

“When should I do that?” Reena asked. 

“As soon as I debrief the five of you. As soon as you finish in medical, you’re all flying to Indonesia. There’s a hospital there in great need of your help, and they’ve got exactly the kind of problem MacGyver likes to fix.” My ears perked up. 

“You’ve got my attention.” I said. “What can I do?” 

“Well, you tell me, Blondie.” Reena shot me a smirk. “Their oxygen isn’t working. They have plenty, but something’s broken or damaged and there’s not enough oxygen being delivered. They have enough oxygen in portable tanks to last probably another day, but every hour and every new patient is another step closer to a lot of people dying.” 

“Not that I don’t really want to help, Matty, but there isn’t someone closer to help?” Reena asked. “Asking a team from the States is a huge time risk.” Matty nodded. 

“You’re right, Reena.” Matty answered. “But a dozen people from neighboring areas, even over into the surrounding countries, have looked, and they either can’t see what the problem is or need parts that the hospital doesn’t have the time to wait for.” Reena nodded, jaw set and eyes determined. 

“Then let’s head out. I’ll run to medical and then meet you guys in the hangar.” she said, turning and jogging out of the room after Matty gave her a nod. 

“Kid’s limp is way more pronounced when she jogs like that.” Jack said when Reena was out of earshot. “But normally, it’s pretty subtle. I’m proud of her.” I nodded. 

“Get your go-bags and head to the hangar. Be ready to fly when Reena gets done.” Matty ordered. “Mac?” I turned, a question in my eyes. “Good luck.” I nodded and headed out the door with Jack, Riley, and Bozer. 

“I’m telling you, man, I think it needs to wait!” Bozer was saying. “I’m worried about her!” 

“Boze, dude, I know you’re worried about Reena,” I said, Bozer turning to look at me as we walked, “but this is gonna be a good mission to get her into the swing of things.” I nudged him with my shoulder. “Besides, I’m the one who has to do most of the work here.” 

PHOENIX HANGAR  
ALWAYS SEEMS TO BE LARGER THAN I REMEMBER

“Hopefully Ree gets down here-” 

“Guys! Did someone take my go-bag?” 

“Found her.” Jack said. I rolled my eyes. 

“Yeah, Ree, I’ve got it!” I called. Reena grinned and fully entered through the door she’d been sticking her head through. She jogged over and came to a stop next to me. “Ready?” I asked, handing Reena her duffle. She nodded. 

“I’ve always wanted to see you in action without gunfire in the background.” Reena chuckled. “Let’s go, Miracle Mac.” 

“Did you just make a _Princess Bride_ reference?”

CITIZENS’ HOSPITAL, INDONESIA  
YEP, DEFINITELY MY KIND OF PROBLEM

“Well, at least we know what’s wrong.” Reena said, ever trying to put a positive spin on things. Then her face dropped. “Mac, is there absolutely no other way?” 

“Not one that won’t run us outta time.” I answered. “Hey, this is what I signed up to do with my life. It’s nothing I can’t handle.” 

“Psychologically, sure. But what about physically?” Reena demanded. “Mac, you’re not invincible, no matter how strong you are.” Reena sounded angry, but her eyes gave away how scared she was. 

“Reena. Hey.” I said softly. “Ree, I’m going to be okay. I promised I would always be there for you, and I’m not about to let a mission break that promise for me.” Reena nodded, then crashed into my chest, pulling me into a tight hug. 

“Come back to me, dumbass.” she muttered into my chest. I just squeezed her a little tighter. 

To be honest, I was pretty nervous myself. The oxygen supply was kept in a pressurized room. The actual fixing of the mechanism that kept it going to the machines was easy, it wouldn’t take me more than a couple of minutes. But it was the pressure I was worried about. I could withstand it, sure, but within a minute it would start cutting off my circulation. Based on basic knowledge I had of the human body under pressure, I would retain function long enough, especially in the suit I rigged up, to fix the machine, but I also had to retain function to get back out. 

The moment I stepped in and shut the door behind myself, I could feel my body screaming under the increased pressure. The normal amount of atmospheric pressure on a human body is about the same weight of a small car. But when you bring that up by almost 100 times that amount, things get dicey, and they get dicey _fast_. I knew I had to be faster. 

I made my way over to the machine, spotting the problem immediately. Under normal circumstances, it would’ve taken me probably a minute to fix, but I knew that it would take me a bit longer. It was time I wasn’t positive I had, but I had to try my absolute hardest. I steeled myself and began working, fingers only slightly clumsier than my usual steadiness. I thanked God that this was just an easy fix, and I hadn’t had to bring more than a couple paper clips in with me. 

It wasn’t long before I started feeling odd, a sign of my body protesting the conditions. I attached a couple more pieces and secured an attachment, checked my work, and turned to make the trek back to the door. 

I’d hiked mountains and crossed miles of forest on the job and in the army, but this was harder than any of that. The only thing keeping me going was knowing that Reena, Riley, Bozer, and Jack were on the other side waiting to release the pressure. I staggered my way into the small room where pressure would be changed. I pulled the door into the larger room closed and banged on the door, unable to get a breath big enough to call out to them. 

“Mac!” Reena yelled. Immediately, the pressure began releasing. It couldn’t be all at once, but whoever was releasing the pressure was doing it as fast as they possibly could without killing me. 

“Mac!” Reena yelled as the door opened. I looked up to see her concerned face coming down towards mine. When had I ended up on the ground? “Mac, you did it, are you okay?” Reena asked. I would’ve answered, honest, but my brain was fuzzy and I couldn’t quite get my body to cooperate with me. As it was, I was having a hard time staying awake. 

“Mac, buddy, let’s get you out of that suit and get some extra oxygen in your system.” Jack was saying. “Mac, bud…” 

I tried to stay awake, I really did, but the black spots in my vision were very persuasive.


End file.
